Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his government’s decision to scrap Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir was a transparent one and he appreciated the leadership of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the understanding it has shown on India’s step.

“As far as Article 370 is concerned, our internal steps were taken in a completely democratic, open, transparent and constitutional manner.They were designed to end the isolation that had kept Jammu-Kashmir underdeveloped to serve the vested interests of a few. This isolation also allowed some of the youth to be misguided, get radicalised and take to violence and terrorism. We cannot afford to let these tendencies get any foothold in our harmonious society and distract us from the primary tasks of growth and development of the entire country,” he told Khaleej Times in an interview.

PM Modi who arrived in the UAE on Friday for the second leg of his three-nation visit was accorded the Order of Zayed, the country’s highest civilian decoration. Modi said India and the UAE have exemplary cooperation to ensure mutual security.

“Both India and the UAE have a common interest in ensuring that the anti-humanity forces that shelter or promote terrorism in any way are compelled to give up their destructive policies. The UAE has shown full understanding of the strong steps we have taken against terrorism. We have exemplary cooperation to ensure mutual security,” he said.In the wide ranging interview, Modi also said his government was focused on empowering India’s poor and marginalized.

“The years from 2014 to 2019 were about fulfilling the basic developmental requirements of our people. This included providing basic facilities such as bank accounts, smoke-free kitchens, social security,healthcare, etc, which were lacking for seven long decades. Now, the time has come to go a step ahead and deliver on people’s aspirations and expectations and build a ‘New India’ of hope and progress,” he said.The UAE is one of the Islamic countries that have rejected the concept of triple talaq or instant divorce. In his interview, Modi stressed that his government’s decision too utlaw the practice has been welcomed from all walks of life.

“The medieval practice of Triple Talaq has become history.For years, this caused injustice to several women belonging to the Muslim community, preventing them from fulfilling their dreams. That impediment has gone. I am delighted to say that this decision has been hailed by several Muslim women and people from all walks of life in India,” the PM said.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court said on Friday it will hear on September 3 former IAS officer Shah Faesal’s plea alleging he was illegally detained at Delhi airport on August 14 and taken back to Srinagar where he has been kept under house arrest.

A bench of Justices Manmohan and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal asked both sides to file their submissions and listed the matter for hearing on September 3.

The court declined to give an earlier date, saying the matter will take time and “it is not going to happen overnight”. “A week or 10 days will not matter,” the bench said and also made it clear that it was not going to examine the issue of Faesal’s travel to the US for his studies as it was not a prayer sought in the habeas corpus plea moved on his behalf.

The bench listed the matter on September 3 as Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta was not available during the first half of the day as he was arguing in the Supreme Court.

Faesal’s lawyers, during the brief hearing, sought that his son and parents be allowed to meet him. The bench said Faesal’s wife, son and parents can meet him, but not all of them together. The central government said it will ensure that the family can meet Faesal.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday said that despite tensions with India, it stands ready to open the Kartarpur Corridor and welcome the Sikh pilgrims to take part in celebrations in connection with the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said this while speaking to a delegation of civil society and parliamentarians of Afghanistan, which is currently visiting Pakistan for the ‘Track-II dialogue, Beyond Boundaries’. Tension between India and Pakistan has escalated after New Delhi revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories on August 5.

“Despite our tensions with India, we have decided go ahead with Kartarpur Corridor and we stand ready to welcome the Sikh pilgrims for the 550th anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak,” Qureshi told the delegation.

The Kartarpur corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Guru Nanak Dev.

Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak up to the border will be constructed by India.

Qureshi also told the delegation that current tension with India will not affect Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan.
Border (with Afghanistan) will not be closed nor trade will stop. Why should Afghans suffer because of the idiosyncratic behaviour of Narendra Modi, Qureshi was quoted as saying. Despite tensions with India, Pakistan is totally focused on the situation and its role in Afghanistan.

It (Kashmir situation) can be a huge distraction but we are very clear what we need to do in Afghanistan, he added while responding to a question if escalation of tension with India can distract Pakistan. Qureshi said that Pakistan did not believe in any strategic depth. We want good neighbourly relations with Afghanistan and peaceful co-existence.

We have no favourites in the upcoming election. It is not our business who governs Afghanistan. We will not interfere. Whoever you [Afghanistan] will choose, we will work with them.” The foreign minister emphasised that honesty was the best way forward between the two countries.

It is foolish to think we can trick each other, he said, adding that blaming each other was not an option. Accusatory statement will not help each other. He also said that we do not want Talibanisation of any region but they [Taliban] are Afghans and they are a reality. He added: We will also support intra-Afghan dialogue.

The process has to be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led. Qureshi told the delegation that he had invited the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s and China for a trilateral meeting. The foreign minister will come to Pakistan in the first week of September for the talks, he added.

Agencies